Charles Leclerc on Pole in Monaco After Dominant Qualifying

After the topping the charts in FP3 Charles Leclerc came out in Q3 with a vengeance. After Verstappen topped Q2 it had seemed that he was firing up his tires to finishing Q3 on a flyer. However, Verstappen’s first sector pace on his final lap was sub par and then he made contact with the wall as the clock expired rendering his qualifying over due to lack of time. Leclerc built a gap on his first flying lap that was the benchmark to beat and then he added even more of a cushion towards the end of qualifying. Oscar Piastri finished P2 and Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz finished P3.

Ferrari Triumphs, Red Bull Falls, McLarens Are in the Fight

Ferrari is sitting in a positive position after qualifying with a car on both the first and second row for tomorrow’s 78 laps race. Given that overtaking opportunities at Monaco are rare if the Ferrari’s can avoid mechanical issues and put together a solid pit strategy they should be able to run away at the front.

Red Bull on the other had will have a major uphill climb. Sergio Perez Exited in Q1 finishing 18th fastest. Verstappen dropped down to P6 by the end of the session failing to make the top 5. On the benefitting side were the McLarens who climb ever so close to being the fastest car on grid. Lando Norris finished P4 and Oscar Piastri finished P2 in the session. The McLarens are looking to make a statement in Monaco after a successful outing at the Emilia Romagna GP.

Tsunoda Out Performs Ricciardo…Again

Daniel Ricciardo’s days at Red Bull are numbered. The once Monaco GP winner has struggled to find harmony with his RB and the pressure is building for him to perform. Liam Lawson waits patiently for another shot at getting back to the F1 grid and to make matters worse Ricciardo’s teammate Tsunoda is in a world of his own having out qualified and scored Ricciardo thus far this season. Tsunoda has been a source of consistency for the RB team. He’s consistently in Q3 and scoring points. We don’t know how much longer RB can justify keeping Ricciardo when the on track results just aren’t there. Tsunoda will start P8 the first car from a team outside of the top 4 in the constructors race on the grid. Ricciardo didn’t make it out of Q2 and will start P13.

The 78 lap race kicks off tomorrow. Ricciardo will need some magic if he’s going to score points. The Monaco GP is notorious for being decided during qualifying.

Monaco Qualifying Results